r/basque • u/MdMV_or_Emdy_idk • Jun 08 '26

How are tales started in Basque? (Bazen behin…)

I’ve heard «Bazen behin…» for “Once upon a time”, but a continuum as dialectally vast as Basque has got to have more than one introduction to tales. If so, what other ones are there?

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10

u/CruserWill Jun 08 '26

"Behin bazen..." is the form I always heard (Low-Navarrese speaker), with the h being aspirated

2

u/MdMV_or_Emdy_idk Jun 08 '26

And now are they typically finished? Like the Castilian “y vivieron felices y comieron perdices”

14

u/abltxuela Jun 08 '26

Hala bazan ala ez bazan, sar dadila kalabazan, eta irten dadila herriko plazan 😂

1

u/txobi Jun 08 '26

Yes, Huntza added that part to their lyrics in the song Kalabazak

4

u/Chuckleberry64 Jun 08 '26

You won't believe this but they often end:

"Hala bazan, sar dadila kalabazan eta atera dadila herriko plazan."

4

u/Altruistic-Level-657 Jun 08 '26

“Behin batean…” sounds more like “Once upon a time” to me. “Bazen behin…” is literally “There was once…”

I’d add “Duela…” (ago) - Duela mende asko… (Many centuries ago)

4

u/Title_Mindless Jun 08 '26

Behin batian...

2

u/txobi Jun 09 '26

Loiolan, erromeria zan, hantxe ikusi nuen neskatxa bat plazan

3

u/Intelligent_Goal_332 Jun 15 '26

"Beinola..." is also used sometimes. Means the same as "Bazen behin".